By Eileen Moon
HOLMDEL – Two words hold special meaning to the generation of veterans who served in Vietnam: Welcome Home.
Those words were repeated many times May 7 as the once-young men and women who served in the military during the Vietnam era gathered at the New Jersey Vietnam Memorial and Museum in Holmdel to mark the state’s annual Vietnam Remembrance Day and celebrate the museum’s reopening after a six-month renovation.
State Sen. Vin Gopal (D- 11) made the $2.5 million project possible by securing funding for the work with support from both sides of the aisle.
Foundation members honored Gopal with the presentation of a plaque and, in recognition of his love and advocacy for animals, a small replica of the “war dogs” sculpture on the memorial grounds.
The ribbon cutting and rededication, held outdoors under sunny skies, also heralded the work of volunteers who restored the UH-1D (Huey) helicopter, which is on permanent display outside the museum doors. It is a reminder of the workhorse flying machines that transported young men into and out of the jungles of Vietnam for years until 1975.
While it has become commonplace to thank veterans for their service in the years since 9/11, many veterans of Vietnam returned without welcome to a nation in turmoil over its entanglement in an unpopular war. The memorial and museum were created to honor those who fought in the war and to educate the public about the complexities of an era that has had an enduring impact on the nation.
It is the first and only museum of its kind in the United States.
Amy Osborn, chief executive officer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, which directs the operations of the memorial and museum, greeted veterans and their families, state, county and local elected officials, members of the nonprofit foundation board and representatives from veterans’ agencies, including Vincent Solomeno, acting deputy commissioner of Veterans Affairs for the State of New Jersey, and Larry Bishop, state Commander of the American Legion Department of New Jersey.
Osborn related the importance of May 7 in the memorial’s history: Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on May 7, 1989, during then-governor Thomas Kean’s administration. The formal dedication was held on May 7, 1995. (The museum opened its doors three years later, in September 1998.)
On May 7, 2014, the museum dedicated the helicopter after veteran volunteers led by Kelly Everhard, daughter of Vietnam veteran Cappy Everhard and herself a military veteran, restored it.
While noting that his success in securing the funding for the renovations aimed at bringing the museum into the digital age came about with the cooperation of his fellow legislators, Gopal said it is the veterans themselves who deserve the thanks for their service and for their efforts in preserving the history of Vietnam. Vietnam veterans serve as docents at the museum, leading tour groups and sharing their firsthand experiences of the war years.
During the ceremonies, board of trustees member Bill Lenchinsky announced that he and his wife Stephanie, who could not attend due to a foot injury, were each donating $20,000 to the foundation. Osborn said their donations will fund necessary technical improvements at the museum, enhancing its ability to tell the stories of Vietnam.
Bishop, the American Legion commander, announced a donation of $10,000, which funded the purchase of a multipassenger mobility vehicle that allows disabled visitors to access all areas of the memorial and museum.
Gopal also announced a $10,000 donation to the museum from his personal foundation, which will cover transportation costs for area schoolchildren on field trips to the memorial and museum.
The memorial, which bears the names of some 1,563 New Jerseyans who lost their lives in Vietnam, is open 24 hours a day. It is located at Parkway Exit 116, adjacent to the PNC Bank Arts Center grounds, at 1 Memorial Lane. The Vietnam Era Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit njvvmf.org for further information.
The article originally appeared in the May 9 – May 15, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
